Jack Cassidy

John Joseph Edward Jack Cassidy March 5 1927 December 12 1976 was an American actor of stage film and screen His frequent professional persona was that of an urbane superconfident egotist with a dramatic flair much in the manner of Broadway actor Frank Fay Cassidy perfected this character to such an extent that he was cast as the legendary John Barrymore in the feature film WC Fields and Me The role of the vain shallow buffoonlike newsman Ted Baxter on TVs The Mary Tyler Moore Show 19701977 was written with Cassidy in mind However Cassidy turned down the role feeling that it was not right for him and the part went to Ted Knight Cassidy later appeared as a guest star in a 1971 episode as Teds highly competitive and equally egocentric brother Hal Description above from the Wikipedia article Jack Cassidy licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia